With no time to think, Lumian immediately recognized the vision as the future three seconds ahead.
The Four of Spades in his fingers rapidly darkened and began to wither.
Reacting with the speed and dexterity granted by his Magician abilities, Lumian drew his pistol, snapped open the chamber, and sprinkled some of his Seeking Charm into the bullets.
Without the slightest hesitation, he raised the gun and opened fire at the corpses.
One second.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
His movements were so swift that they were almost impossible to follow.
With the agility of a Magician, Lumian fired continuously, each shot striking with uncanny precision.
In barely one and a half seconds, he had already shot ten corpses.
At the same time, Lumian recited an incantation, causing the Seeking Charm within the bullets to ignite and set the corpses ablaze as they were struck.
Two seconds.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Within the next half second, Lumian shot three more bodies.
But even as he fired, his eyes swept across the room and his heart sank.
There were nearly one hundred and fifty corpses in the autopsy room.
Three seconds.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As the final second passed, Lumian heard the same sound from the vision, which was coughing.
One after another, the corpses throughout the room began to stir.
One by one, the corpses slowly sat upright, but Lumian did not hesitate.
The moment each body rose, he fired directly at its forehead.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets tore through skulls as fast as the corpses could lift themselves from the tables.
Suddenly, he heard a faint mumbling behind him. Without even taking time to think, Lumian spun around and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The shot struck true, and the body burst into flames. When he looked up again, his eyes widened.
Some of the corpses were apparently far more intelligent than the others.
Rather than advancing along the floor, they had already begun climbing the walls.
With the agility of a Magician, Lumian stomped hard against the floor and flipped backward, narrowly avoiding the flaming corpse.
The maneuver placed him in a better position, giving him a clear view of the room and preventing anything from attacking him from behind.
Without wasting a single moment, he reloaded his pistol and opened fire once more.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots rang out continuously.
Whether they crawled along the ceiling or staggered across the floor, the corpses were struck down one after another.
By this point, Lumian had already eliminated nearly forty of them.
What made the situation slightly more manageable was that the corpses were relatively slow.
Then, amid the relentless gunfire, Lumian pulled the trigger again.
Click!
A dry metallic sound echoed through the room.
His bullets were gone. And this time, he had no spare rounds left to reload.
His chest tightened instantly.
Without wasting another moment, Lumian let his empty pistol fall to the floor.
Using Sleight of Hand, all fifty-three playing cards suddenly appeared around him, outlining his body as they circled in the air.
Guided by an invisible force, the cards shot outward on their own.
Swoo! Swoo!
Each card sliced through the air with deadly precision, striking the advancing corpses and igniting them the moment they made contact.
The cards proved remarkably effective.
Because the flames spread rapidly, a single strike could often engulf two corpses at once.
Within moments, Lumian had eliminated thirty more.
The number of remaining corpses dropped to seventy. And he still had twenty-four cards left.
...
Meanwhile, as the cards continued sweeping through the corpses below, Lumian glanced upward and noticed movement on the ceiling.
There was one corpse.
No, two. Then three, then six!
The cards circling around him could not effectively attack both the corpses on the floor and those clinging to the ceiling at the same time.
Remaining calm, Lumian plucked three cards from the orbit surrounding him and flicked them forward with precise movements.
Swoo! Swoo! Swoo!
The Ace of Spades buried itself directly into one corpse's forehead and ignited instantly.
At nearly the same moment, the other two cards struck their targets with the same result.
Flames erupted across the ceiling.
Without pausing, Lumian drew additional cards and hurled them with equal precision.
Each one embedded itself in a corpse and set it ablaze.
Only after several more throws did he finally realize the situation.
He had just ten cards remaining, and there were still about twenty corpses left.
Shit. Shit. Shit… what am I going to do now? Lumian thought inwardly as he scanned the room and watched the remaining corpses advance.
His gaze landed on the overhead lamps, and suddenly, an idea struck him.
That's right… science! Since the room is already partially aflame, if i could "wet" the lights and bring them down, it might trigger an electrical surge and intensify the fire, accelerating the burning process.
Without hesitation, he retreated a step and deactivated his Sleight of Hand.
Only three cards remained in his hand.
He flicked his wrist and threw them in quick succession.
Swoo! Swoo! Swoo!
Amid the sharp sound of rushing wind, the Four of Hearts, which was coloured red, suddenly burst into flames as it sliced through the wire suspending one of the lamps.
At the same moment, the other two card, the King and the Joker, collided in midair.
The instant they touched, they produced an effervescence of water, splashing onto the falling lamp.
With a loud thud, the lamp crashed to the ground.
Almost immediately, flames burst outward.
Lumian instinctively raised an arm to shield his eyes from the smoke, dust, and sudden gust of hot air.
The sharp smell of disinfectant and burning debris filled his nose, causing him to cough repeatedly.
Amid the crackling flames, he could still hear the low mumbling of the advancing corpses.
Lumian forced his eyes open and looked into the fire.
The corpses were still moving forward, their eyes wide open and saliva dripping from their mouths.
But after only a few more steps, they suddenly stopped.
Then, one after another, they collapsed slowly to the floor.
Lumian let out a sigh of relief, but he did not dawdle.
Without wasting any time, he pulled out another charm—the Tranquil Charm—and sprayed its effects throughout the room while reciting an incantation to purify the lingering corruption.
Only after everything settled and the last traces of unrest faded did he allow himself to think.
What could have caused all of the corpses to rise? Wait… every one of these people had one thing in common. They had all been affected by James's corruption. That means the corruption does more than kill. As it passes from person to person, it may also taint the victim's soul. Once the body dies, the corrupted soul reanimates the corpse as an undead shortly afterward. If that's true…
Then this situation is far worse than I thought. Not only will people die, but they will return as undead and attack everyone around them. This matter just escalated.
At that very moment, the autopsy room door was pushed open. Hargreaves stepped inside.
The moment Hargreaves stepped into the autopsy room and took in the scorched walls and overturned tables, his eyes widened. "What in Skywalker happened here?" he asked softly.
Lumian's expression immediately turned serious as he recounted everything that had occurred while the Captain was away.
He described the warning from his Four of Spades, the corpses rising all at once, the frantic battle, and his conclusion that James's corruption could transform the dead into undead.
When Lumian finished speaking, Hargreaves remained silent. And I was only gone for twenty minutes… he thought inwardly with a weary sigh.
Then he said in a firm voice, "As I said before, we are all going there tonight. This matter is far more serious than I anticipated. We will call Rosanne, Sharley, Berlie, Vincent, and Derrick as well."
Lumian nodded and asked thoughtfully, "Captain, how exactly are we going to stop James's arrival?"
Hargreaves looked at him with his dark eyes. "It will be similar to a standard purification, except this time we will use a much larger quantity of ingredients."
"You know the Grey Lander Charm."
Lumian nodded. "Yes, Captain. But that's one of the most dangerous charms. If mishandled, it can cause severe consequences. It's considered a restricted charm."
Hargreaves nodded.
"Exactly. We will also prepare oil, seaweed, tree bark, and a tube of vinegar. We must perform the exorcism at the precise moment James manifests and begins to strike. Since he started from the hotel and the surrounding area remained untouched, it is highly likely he will begin from the hotel again tonight."
Lumian considered this carefully and asked, "But how are we supposed to carry out the ritual if we ourselves are affected by the corruption?"
"That's very simple," Hargreaves said in a reassuring tone. "Before heading there, we will purify ourselves using the scent of a dried green leaf."
"Okay, Captain. But shouldn't we be getting ready now?" Lumian asked thoughtfully.
Hargreaves slipped his hands into his pockets and brought out his phone to check the time.
After glancing at it, he returned the phone and spoke in his usual solemn voice. "We still have a great deal to do. We need to organize the forensic reports and casualty statistics and submit them to the government, as well as to the Hanged Associates of Skywalker. As you know, they specialize in matters concerning the security and supernatural affairs of Betyl. They operate unanimously, and almost no one knows the identities of their members. It's only five o'clock. We still have plenty of time."
"Okay, Captain," Lumian replied, trying to calm himself.
Hargreaves then spoke again. "Come. Let's go meet Derrick so we can continue with the forensic work and prepare the statistics."
With that, the two of them left the devastated autopsy room.